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Lawsuit Filed Over North Side Divvy Station

By Emily Morris | August 22, 2013 3:09pm
 A condo association has sued the city and Ald. James Cappleman (46th) over a Divvy bike station near its homes.
A condo association has sued the city and Ald. James Cappleman (46th) over a Divvy bike station near its homes.
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DNAinfo file photos/Tanveer Ali

CHICAGO — Some Lakeview residents who noticed a Divvy bike station popping up near their condo building have sued the city and the alderman to remove the blue-hued spot, which they argue will bring unwanted strangers to their door.

The complaint, which was filed in the Cook County Circuit Court Wednesday, claims that residents of a three-unit condominium in the 3500 block of North Pine Grove Avenue weren't aware a Divvy station would be installed near their building Wednesday until workers were seen preparing for the station a day earlier.

The document is signed by husband-wife duo David F. Kolin and Jeannine M. Cordero, both lawyers, and names the Chicago Department of Transportation and Ald. James Cappleman (46th) as defendants.

"We are alleging that our condominium association will be harmed by the placement of the station at our front doorstep," said Cordero, whose husband is the president of the association.

The station, at Addison Street near Pine Grove Avenue, is one of 400 stations in the city that contain shared Divvy bikes, which can be rented for 30-minute trips, according to Divvy's website. Since the city introduced the program earlier this summer, the popular bikes have attracted thousands of registered users.

The complaint argues that installing the station "will destroy thousands of dollars of improvements made by the resident members of Pine Grove and will bring strangers to our front door at all hours of the night and day. Residents are concerned that strangers can easily follow minors through the front doors of the building."

The civil filing also suggests that the station is not "appropriately placed" in the neighborhood near a "quiet, residential street," and that it should be placed in a higher-traffic area. The document also argues the Divvy station will devalue the condo units, and that the city and Cappleman failed to notify residents ahead of time that the station would be built.

"We are aware of the request from a few residents to relocate the Divvy station away from their building on Pine Grove Avenue near Addison Street," CDOT spokesman Pete Scales said. "This residential street location was determined to be the safest for customers near the busy intersection of Addison and Lake Shore Drive. It is located in the public way, close to the curb on the street, and not on any private property.

Cappleman's office declined requests for comment and referred questions to the city's Law Department. Representatives of the Law Department did not respond to requests for comment.